Bloody nose, like people stub toes
got a fat lip every other week
learned to breath through the wrong end of a sleeping bag
learned to read the bible superglued to my hand

it's not called abuse
it's called sibling rivalry
and it's always three against me
three against me

no one calls it hate when it's your brothers
it's called tough love and accepted by the neighbors
it's not called a hate crime, it's just what my brothers did to pass the time

one hundred fist salute Saturday morning
a steel toe to the shin Saturday night
mustard up the nose while I was sleeping
wake up with Tabasco in my eye

it's not called abuse
it's called sibling rivalry
and it's always three against me
three against me

no one calls it hate when it's your brothers
closed door and a blind eye by my parents
it's not called a hate crime, it's just what my brothers did to kill

when I found the train ticket on the bed
next to a note that read
if I had any respect
I wouldn't think about visiting, writing or calling
in fact any communication would be deleted or hung up
all letters would be torn
who would correspond with someone who was never born?